Ageing Race-fully

From boosting your bones to sharpening your mind, here’s how running can hold back the years

Posted: 9 May 2011by Jerrie Andrews

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Bulletproof your bones

Treena Shaw, manager of Edinburgh-based Fitness Assessment and Sport Injuries Centre, says, "Running boosts circulation and that increases nutrition to the soft tissue structures around the bones, which can prevent osteoporosis."

Researchers at the University of Missouri, US, showed that running strengthens bones better than other aerobic activities. More than 60 per cent of cyclists involved in the study had low density in their spine or hips, compared with 19 per cent of runners.

Discuss this article

I can't run but I walk and I find that if I miss a single day (excluding scheduled rest days) my mood lowers and I begin to feel more lethargic. Since Christmas of last year 2011 I have walked off five stone, I still plan to loes another three but that will be next year. I walk on roads or paved paths but I find lots to see and interact with. There are several others in my area who also walk rather than run.

Here is wishing you all a very pleasant Holiday and a Healthier New Year.

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